Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-13
T0RYISM'S STAB AT ERIN
ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLMES
BACKS THE CRIMES BILL.


IEAtlon in ireland Again Relterated-
The Proposed Power of Magistrates
Defended-Mr. Chtlders Declares the
Proposed Legislation Unwarranted by
FsGts.
LONDON, April 12.-The House of Com
mons resumed its sittings this afternoon.
After Speaker Peel had thanked the
House for It's indulgence during his ILL
ness, Attorney General Holmes reopened
the debate en- the governments side in
favor or the Irish crimes act amendment
bill. He contended that the measure was
a fair and reasonable one, and that none
of its provisions would interfere with
constitutional or infringe on public
rights. The House should remember Mr..
Holmes argued that society in Ireland
was in q state of disorganiZstion; that
crime went undetecJed, and that the peo-
Pile seemed to sympathiZe with criminals
and thwarted attempts TO obtain evidence.
REFUSALS TO CONVICT.
In cases where the evidence was clear
against the prisoners the lur.es refused
to convict, so that the system of trial by
jury had absolutely broken down in Ire
land. Il WAS absurd to say that crime in
Ireland should go uupunished rather
than that such etfectual means as the
changing OF venue should be taken to Sc
cure due admins tration Of the law. Mr..
Holmes hoped it would not be necessary
If the bill passed to have frequent recourse
to change or venue. Derisive Parnellte
cheers Referring TO the question of sum-
mary jurisdiction, the Attorney General
said this WAS not the first time that such
provision had been made to deal with
oheuses,
POWER OF MAGISTRATES.
Under summary process resident mag
istrates in ireland would be no more eX-
ecufjve officers than justices of the peace
in England, while every possible safe
guard would be taken to prevent magis-
tTates from interfering unless the law Of
the country were set at defiance. AS to
the provision enabling the Niceroy to
suppress dangerous associations, the bill
left the exercise of the Niceroy's power
under the veto OF Parliament. The gov
ernment adhered to the proposal TO make
the bill perpetual. The misfortune in the
enactment of past measures of the kind
was that they were not made perpetual.
Parliament could, OF course, repeal tue
present law whenever necessary, but so
long as its power to sustain the law was
required it would remain in force.
[Cheers
SIR CHILDERS' OPPOSITION.
Rt. Hon. Hugh G. Childers said that al
though he supported the amendment TO
the bill he admitted that some OF the bills
PROVISIONS would nOJfbe Objectionable If
they were made part of a general law for
both Ireland and England, but these fea.
lures of the proposed law which the gov
ernment especially intended to apply TO
Ireland were unWarranted and would be
found to evoke disorder instead of RENE.
dying existing evils.
Why propose coercion when there was
no increase of crime shown in Ireland?
Before the last election at least ninety
Conservative members declared against
any further coercion. LORD Salisbury
himself stated that 1t was impractlcable
and impossible to reimpOse on Ireland
any measure like the former crimes act.
SURE TO REPENT.
The government would soon learn,
should the present bill become a law,
how disastrous was their recourse to the
old and bad system OF repression-worse
than ever now when the representatives
OF fve-slXth of the Irish people opposed
the measure. Mr.. Childers protested
strongly against giving the proposed
powers to resident magistrates, whom
he knew, he said, would be unfit by
reason of lack OF legal training to
properly exercise them, especially in
cases involving the application OF the
extreme provisions applied TO boycott
and the legal construction Of the word
conspiracy. The proposal 10 try Irish
prisoners IN England was amongst the
worst features OF the bill. What would
have been eaid il ever 1t had been pro-
posed to Englishmen to try them out OF
their own country for crimes committed
in il? 1Parnelite cheers. The speaker
ridiculed the lOoseness OF the definitions
contained in the bill, and warned the
government that for this reason alone
number OF It's clauses are imperative.
NO DYNAMITE SHIP.
The statement made by Rev. Mr.. Ken
uedy in a letter to the Cork Herald yes-
terday that ship named the Gulnare,
from the United states, was oO8stlng off
Youghal " ith q load of dynamite, is DIS
credited. At the o&ice OF Lloyds it is
stated that no such vessel is registered.
The Cork police also treat the Kennedy
story with ridlcule.
THE HOUSE DESERTED.
There were not fifty members in the
House of Commons tonight. The debate
on the crimes bill will go over informally
until Thursday, when the House Will fiji
up again. Mr.. Gladstone will revive in
terest in the parliamentary speaking
Friday. The government is anxious TO
reach second reading OF the crimes bill
without resorting to cloture and will not
insist on a division before April %.
Speaker Peel has intimated to Mr..
Gladstone that ii the head OF the govern
ment demands cloture after reasonable
period of debate he Will always deem 1t
his duty 30 acquiesce and that this rule
will apply to any government, Tory or
Liberal.
REDMOND'S ARGUMENT.
Mr.. Redmond argued that Ireland was
now quieter than at any time in the last
half century. He said there was less
boycotting now than in 1885, when tho
conservative government abandoned co
erciOn.
deury Matthews, Home Secretary,
while admitting that the bill was not
based upon an abnormal amount OF crime,
advised tue opposition not 10 press that
argument too far, because statistics in
possession Of the government showed
that agrarian crime had increased s5 per
cent. since October. He defended the
summary clauses OF the bill, which he
said did not touch lawful combinations,
but only dealt with minor Oiienses,
which to great extent were
thus treated In England. Win regard 60
graver offenses n jurles could not be en-
trusted with lighter cases OF crime the
a.